Carnival Legend to Debut Next Week

August 15, 2002

A big week for Carnival Cruise Lines as the company took delivery yesterday of its newest ship -- the fleet's 17th --in Helsinki. Carnival Legend, an 88,500-ton ship, departs on Friday for Harwich (a port used for London) and
will get its "official" name courtesy of Great Britain's Oscar Award-winning grande dame actress Judi Dench. That's dame Judi, to you.

The most significant thing about Carnival Legend is actually that it will be the line's first ship ever to sail a European itinerary (could a Carnival summer in Europe be far behind?). The ship will make an inaugural three-day
trip to Amsterdam, a 12-day Baltic (roundtrip from Harwich) and then hit the high seas for a 15-day transatlantic. Expect a lot more hoopla when the ship arrives in New York City, on September 20.

Otherwise, the ship, the third in Carnival's "Spirit" class, features the "usual" accouterments, from on-board golf to a wedding chapel, among other relatively unique aspects.